Depleted roster leads to second loss

The Nighthawks came into this season expecting a turn around year, but they have yet to see what their full team could do. This is the second week in a row the Nighthawks have been missing some key players. Travis missed this game due to family issues, Veronica was out of the game with a concussion and Emily missed the game again due to an existing illness. This team has not had their full roster and for two weeks in a row has had trouble adjusting their offense. The game was the second overall meeting between the Nighthawks and the Ball Busters. Last season it was a 9-2 Nighthawks loss, and this year, even without their full roster, it was an 8-3 loss. This game has showed the overall improvement of the Nighthawks as a team. It was a defensive battle in the first half as Andrew Willis scored the only goal. In the second half the depleted roster started to have an effect on the Nighthawks. It wasn't long before the Nighthawks were behind in the game and trying to find a way back in, but without any consistent offense and no secondary scoring the Nighthawks eventually lost the game. Andrew Willis did have his first career multi-goal game even while playing with a bad knee. This Olympic break will prove to be helpful for the Nighthawks as they look to make a run at first this year. Many injuries that this team has faced can be healed. Veronica has a concussion, Sherif has a nagging ankle injury, Emily will try to recover from her illness, Luke has a groin injury, and Andrew Willis has been asked by Captain Saxon Feravich not to participate in the games over this break in order to help heal his knee. After the break the Nighthawks will look to attack with their full roster.

Nighthawks collapse leaves them 0-1

The Nighthawks looked to start the season off on the right foot against Crossfire. They felt that with a full roster they would be able to avenge their late season loss to them last year, but this was not to be the case. First off both Beatrice and Kaitlin missed this game due to injuries in practice, Carissa could not make the game either for undisclosed reasons, and starting goaltender Emily Theodore came down with an illness and was unable to attend. Mike Roos started in goal for the game, and his efforts earned him player of the week awards. Despite the depleted roster, the Nighthawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead thanks to goals by Rachel Willis, Abby Cannon, and Sherif Hassanien (2), and the team looked ready to roll for the new season. It wasn't until there was three minutes to go in the first half that the tide started to turn. Crossfire ended the first half on a 5-1 run, and they were only down two at the half. The Nighthawks collapse continued in the second half. There was a ray of hope when John Mosley decided to play despite his injury, but alas it was too little too late and the final score was 8-7 Crossfire. This debacle is just the latest for the Nighthawks, going back to last season they are now 2-5 when leading at the half. Captain Saxon Feravich had this to say after the game, "We need to figure out what is going wrong. I don't know if we just go up by so much that our team stops caring, or if we just run out of gas. Either way this can't keep happening." When asked about how this can be changed Saxon replied by saying he had no idea on how to motivate everyone. Veronica, who had three goals last week, was non-existent in this game, and the team needs her to step up if they are going to have a chance of winning this season. The next game will be a real test for the Nighthawks as they face the Ball Busters. This will be the first meeting between these two teams since the Nighthawks finally figured out their roster.

Last season highlights

Nighthawks looking for turn-around year

The Nighthawks are coming off a 2-6 season last year, but the expectations as a team are very high. All of the players are returning this year except for John Mosley who was placed on IR for the year after getting injured in the final game of last season. The big signing this offseason was Veronica Livingstone. This is a huge signing for the Nighthawks, especially since she had four goals in two games. When Captain Saxon Feravich was asked about how he felt the team would do this year he said, "Our whole team is coming back with a year of experience, and after looking at our division I will be shocked if we don't win it this year." Other news for the Nighthawks has to do with Sherif Hassanien, who was upset about the money in his contract. After some debating he decided to sign a contract extension with the team. He had this to say afterward, "Now that you guys are comfortable with me I am going to take my play to the next level." This is good news for the Nighthawks because an uncomfortable Sherif had 12 goals last season. The season expectations are high this year as Saxon said a .500 record would be a disappoinment.

Player Expectations:
Andrew Willis- Finish year with 16 points, and third on the team in goals.

Beatrice Hilado- 10 points and two of them goals.

Carissa Coon- Keep up the physical play.

Emily Theodore- Have five wins.

Kaitlin Cooper- 10 points and two of them goals.

Leanne Mitchell- 10 points for the year.

Luke Bahrou- Finish year with 16 points, and fourth on the team in goals.

Mike Roos- Try to go three full games without getting injured, and +5.

Rachel Willis- Six points and a couple goals.

Saxon Feravich- Try to get a point per game, lead the team in plus/minus, and a goal would be nice.

Sherif Hassanien- He has to be the new points leader of this team with John on IR. A 30 point year is expected.

Travis Feravich- Try to get a point per game, second on the team in plus/minus, and a few of his great dances, and a goal would be the greatest thing ever.

Veronica Livingstone- She had four goals in two games, but 16 goals may be too much. Sherif had 12 goals last year, and now Veroinca needs to be the secondary scorer. 12 goals will be 24 points on the board so that would be good.

Nighthawks finish season on high note

The Nighthawks finished their season with a victory, 17-8 over Here For The Beer. This game was definitely a turning point for the team as they are looking toward the future. The team has to feel especially confidant because this win came without defenseman anchor Travis Feravich. Veronica, who was picked up last week, had three goals, and in just two games finished with a total of four goals which was good enough for fourth on the team. Sherif Hassanien also had three goals to finish second on the team with 12. The first half began with the typical dominance we have come to expect from the Nighthawks, the team was just out-running everyone and it looked like this would be an easy win for the Nighthawks. It wasn't until there was under a minute left that Beatrice Hilado, who was claimed off waivers by Here For The Beer then re-signed by the Nighthawks in free agency, scored to pull her team within 3. Fans were nervous that there would be another second half collapse, but no such thing happened as the Nighthawks buckled down, and finished their rout. This game was truly a team effort as it seemed everyone was on the score sheet. Rachel Willis had her first goal, the dynamic duo of Luke Bahrou and Andrew Willis each had a goal, Leanne and Carissa each had a pair of assists, and Saxon once again moved permanently to defense only to finish with a +11 for the game. The only down side to this game was the fact that leading goal scorer, John Mosley, injured his leg and could be out all of next year as well. This will be a devastating loss for the Nighthawks, especially if they cannot re-sign Veronica for the upcoming season. While the season as a whole was not what the Nighthawks were expecting they definitely have a lot to look forward to next season, and this young team will be a force in the league soon.

Shorthanded Nighthawks lose close one

The Nighthawks fought valiantly again but had a similar result as the usual, a loss. Despite the fact that the Nighthawks were missing six regulars including their top two scores in John Mosley and Sherif Hassanien, they were also missing arguably their top defenseman in Saxon Feravich, and Leanne Mitchell, Carissa Coon, and Luke Bahrou, the final score was 9-4 with the game going to Crossfire. This loss seemed inevitable so it can not be put on the shoulders of the players that did attend. The game started off poorly for the Nighthawks as a short lob goal was scored by a female opponent and was out of reach of goaltender Arman, who was picked up for one game, and the General Manger had nothing to do with this. Other acquisitions for this game were Conor Milroy an Veronica Livingstone. After a bit of a sluggish start, the team had easily their best defensive game of the season with up and coming defensive stars Andrew Willis and Travis Feravich. Travis showed a chip off the old block of his brother with strong defensive play and Willis proved he is a top defenseman for any team in the league. Willis also added offense on with a goal and also drew 2 huge penalties in which Matt Roos capitalized on one. The defensive pair also both played 50 of 55 minutes taking only a 5 min break at the half. In addition to the defense there were some other positive sign for this young team. Veronica Livingstone had a goal, and was signed for the next session. They have a solid number one goaltender in Emily Theodore, and the main defensive core will return next year. There is however, a rumor that both John and Sherif might not return next season. Clearly the priority this off-season will be to resign both of these superstars.

Nighthawks will finish season below .500 with loss

The Nighthawks disappointing season continued with a 15-9 loss this past Thursday. Although the score looks bad, this does tell the whole story of the game. The Nighthawks played their usual first half and had a 4-2 lead. They fell apart in the second half, and it all started when Emily injured her wrist after stopping a shot. She was pulled for Mike Roos who let in five goals on six shots (three by girls). Emily decided to come back in and play through the pain, but she was not the same out there, and at that point the game was lost. John Mosley struggled this and said, "sometimes you have those bad games, and there is nothing you can do." There were some positives from this game, and one of them was Sherif, who took over in the second half and seemed to score every time he touched the ball. When asked after the game why he didn't do that more he said, "I didn't want to be a ball hog." The team later confirmed that they didn't care. Another positive was the defensive strength of Andrew Willis. He is becoming a better midfielder, and the team could really use that. This next game will be interesting as a number of minor league players will be brought up to take the place of a few players, including team captain Saxon Feravich, who will miss the game due to an undisclosed injury.